New Report: Switched On London- Democratic Energy in the Capital

A new report from New Economics Foundation and Switched On London makes the case for a new public energy company for London, and calls on the city’s Mayoral candidates to back the proposals.

The report finds a new public energy company in London could:

Save Londoners up to 25% on their current energy bills: similar schemes, such as Robin Hood Energy in Nottingham, have led to direct benefits for households, particularly those in fuel poverty

Provide clean energy for the capital: through solar energy alone, the new company could catalyse enough clean power generation for a fifth of London’s electricity needs

Bring decisions about energy supply closer to the people who depend on it: by pioneering democratic and participative approaches to energy supply governance, a public energy company could re-engage millions of citizens with issues of climate change and social justice.

To coincide with the report, Switched On London has commissioned a poll which revealed cross-party support for publicly-owned energy, with 3 in 4 Londoners supporting a London-wide public energy company that reduces the cost of energy bills and invests in renewable energy.

Key findings:

65% turned off or hesitated to use their heating last winter because of worries about their energy bills

77% want a London public energy company that reduces the cost of energy bills and invests in local energy

73% are more likely to vote for a Mayoral candidate who has a credible plan to lower energy bills for London.

61% of undecided voters are more likely to vote for a candidate with a plan to lower bills.

Switched On London are launching Saturday 23rd April in Lambeth. Register here for you FREE ticket!

Please support us via social media using #SwitchOn hashtag, @SwitchedOnLDN and @NEF. We’ve created some sample tweets for you to use:

New report by @NEF & @SwitchedOnLDN shows public energy in London would reduce energy bills by 25% #SwitchOn http://switchedonlondon.org.uk/switchedonlondon-report/

73% of Londoners more likely to vote for Mayoral candidate with credible plan to lower energy bills. #SwitchOn http://switchedonlondon.org.uk/switchedonlondon-report/